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I have read many people on this forum on about planting new potatoes for Xmas dinner.  How do you go about planting new spuds for Xmas?  Do you use small potatoes from your own crops?  Am I too late to plant some?

I usually keep some sets back from the start of the season but i believe  you can get them from the seed catalogues now
I set them away in containers or black bags and grow them on outside till my tomatoes are finished and out of the greenhouse i then move my potatoes in.

Christmas Day exactly?

A bit tricky. But if you plant now, they'll be ready in October & keep until then??

a lot of the seed catalogues are advertising seed potaotoes for planting July/august to crop in the winter. They make a point about cropping for Xmas, but not sure if this is so accurate. I have sent away for some. I found them more expensive than regular seed potatoes, but they do put them in cold storage to stop them sprouting in spring ...

From last weekend's Guardian:

Fancy munching home-grown roast spuds on Christmas Day? 'Carlingford' seed potatoes are waiting in cold storage to leap into autumnal spud-producing action. Plant them out in August; boil them up on Christmas Day.

Doesn't say where to get them, though!

i have got mine from mammothonion.co.uk but trust me they are expensive
£10.00 for 12 seed potatoes (but we got 13)
lbb

Carlingford did well but, as mentioned, July is too early. Even an August planting will turn in before Christmas & have to wait in the ground??

You don,t plant them in the ground Tim you plant them in bags or containers, then put them in the greenhouse for warmth when the tomatoes are finished.

I read that if you lift some new potatoes in June you keep some of them aside and plant out just now.

Thats what I'm going to try.  Not sure if it'll work.

I just had Carlingford delivered from Thomson & Morgan as a Christmas potato.  Plant outside end July/early August latest.  No chitting required.  If not planting out immediately store in the fridge no lower than 4c.

ive just ordered maris peer from suttons, first time of trying later potatoes for me and will plant them in 3 large pots and 1 potato barrel and see what happens

Quote from: tim on July 23, 2008, 07:12:43
Carlingford did well but, as mentioned, July is too early. Even an August planting will turn in before Christmas & have to wait in the ground??

I normally plant mine in the last week of August, I'd go with Maris Peer.

http://www.suttons.co.uk/pd_220198_2nd_Crop_Seed_Potato_Maris_Peer.htm

Just to be different (?) mine go into the ground. Can't cope with buckets.

And I repeat - if they go in late July/early August, they'll be ready long before Christmas.

In our humble experience!

Depends on your definition of ready, I suppose.  I prefer something bigger than 'marbles'  ;)

I'll take your advice and follow the professional growers instructions!

I took over a derelict plot in March 07 and it took me months to clear. Just to say I'd grown something I planted potatoes for Christmas, Carlingford they were, and we had lovely 'new' potatoes for our Chritmas dinner. For the amount I got they worked out pretty expensive but it was great to say "I grew these!" when we were seated around the table.

Yes - Carlingford seem well adapted.

Ready? I mean bigger than the Jersey Royals that some folk pay the earth for!

Good going, Stephen!

Yes, ceres - follow the professionals - not me!!

how deep do the bins need to be to grow spuds in ?

I suppose it depends which part of the UK you live.  We in the frozen North Staffs wouldn't contemplate growing potatoes for Christmas outdoors.  They are frost tender, and once the tops have been frosted you'll have nothing underneath.  (That is, having consulted OH ;D)

This far north you would have to grow them in containers indoors.

With regard to Carlingford, we grew them as reasonably earlies last year, and were not impressed.  They didn't scrape easily (and yes, I'm old fashioned, I don't want the skins, I can get enough roughage in my diet without) ;D, and the taste wasn't brilliant.

valmarg

When would you plant them Tim.

Mine go in the ground too.

Haven't a clue, Mick!!

Just know what has happened in the past.

And, as for frost. I've had to chisel frozen spuds out & they have been fine.